My Future Lawyer Career – My Risk

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Life is based off a series of risk. Risk start off as our intuition, all we know. We learn to crawl regardless of the callus on our fingers and bruises upon our knees. We learn to walk regardless of how much we might stumble and fall. Yet, somewhere along the lines we are thrusted into life’s harsh realities and are shown the concept of failure; with this new concept in mind, we are constantly drawn to the what ifs. The idea of taking a leap of faith, not knowing where you are going to land, is scary; yet, it can be so important to take those chances because it can lead to new self-discoveries.

My ancestors took a risk. They risked their lives coming here. So, I am taking a risk too, to make something out of theirs. Looking back on my family history, I realize I come from a family that took a series of risk to get me to where I am today. My ancestors came to America from Berlin, Germany because they heard rumors of a better life across the seas. They were dedicated to giving their children a bright, promising future in America. At the tender age of 5, my grandfather, Steven T. Wegner, moved across the ocean from Germany to Michigan. Once he turned 18 he joined the US marines and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Although he was terrified, he pushed through the trials and tribulations and was rewarded greatly. As my grandfather served overseas in Japan, he met a sweet, young lady who would become my grandmother. Trying to preserve their identity and raise a family, they realized their only true hope was to leave their current situations and start a new chapter together back in the states. Due to the bombing on Pearl Harbor, the idea of marrying a Japanese woman was unheard of. He was shunned and exiled from his family, his church, and by the town. His family gave him two options, leave her or leave the family. The next day my grandparents ran away from Michigan to San Francisco, California with little to no money in their pockets, just a crumbled up ‘hiring ad’ from a newspaper. They were risk takers, but they sought a better, freer life. That was their generation. And now, I as well am at a critical point in my life — one that is quite different from theirs but a life changing decision nonetheless.

I remember as I was committing to my major to CBU I racked my brain a million times of all the options that I could pursue; but my mind kept coming back to one: law. As my shaky hands checked the box for my major, I let out a sigh, still not sure if it was of relief or just my breath that I was holding in of fear. That was my biggest risk. I have jumped out of planes, went open water diving with the sharks, flew by myself across the country, yet my biggest risk was deciding I wanted to be a lawyer. Many people always tell me, “Well how is that a risk? You’ll make good money!” Yet, to me, it’s one of the scariest decisions I’ve ever made. Dedicating the next four plus years of my life to a legal education is a risk even if most don’t see it that way. Certainly, paying for law school will be a challenge of its own.

My future career is not only a risk for myself, but my family as well. They have invested so many late nights and early mornings to raise money, not for themselves and their wants, but for the possibility that I might make something out of myself. As well as money, I face the challenge of whether law will always give me the satisfaction and fulfillment it gives me now. I am terrified that although law brings me so much joy now, will it always. What if I spend so much hard work and money just for me to decide I want to be something else 2 years from now? These statements have raced through my mind countless times; the ‘what-ifs’ causing me to have many sleepless nights. I am scared. I am worried. Yet, I know every good outcome in life comes from having 20 seconds of insane courage. Though they are no longer in my life, my grandparents have created a life-long effect on me.

Through their stories, I am inspired to work hard to help diminish the injustices happening to others. My purpose is not to become a lawyer, my purpose is to shape and change the world. My risk remains unsolved. Yet, I am completely ecstatic with the risk I took because I realize now the biggest risk I could have done was not do anything at all. Ships weren’t meant to be docked, and a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.